1/4 Of Oregon's Legislators Leaving - Term Limits, General Disgust Reasons

[hatrack]

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"Oregon courts threw out term limits two years ago, but state legislators are leaving in droves anyway. Some are trying for higher office, others have landed state jobs with good pay and benefits. But many are simply dropping out of public life because they've reached the end of their political rope. They're burned out and disillusioned by the past two years of grueling, combative legislative sessions and second-guessing by voters. They say a job that once carried a level of public esteem and a sense of doing some good for the state has become thankless and all but irrelevant.

"It's just not worth the effort to work so hard to come up with something, then to be constantly called a crook, to have your integrity brought into question," said Rep. John Mabrey, R-The Dalles. "I'm just tired of the controversy, tired of everything. I don't need it."

Mabrey, who helped pass an $800 million tax increase that voters rejected last month, won't be filing for re-election before today's candidate deadline expires at 5 p.m. Neither will about two dozen of his legislative colleagues, including seven who have resigned since the 2003 session started. In raw numbers, the turnover appears about average, although it could go even higher after the November election. But the exodus strips the Legislature of some of its most experienced veterans and brightest minds, Capitol watchers say. Among those who won't be back is an entire faction of fiscally moderate House Republicans who ponied up the brainpower and collaborative skills to end last year's record-long session.

With more than one-quarter of legislators leaving, some lobbyists and lawmakers say the already polarized divisions between parties could widen, causing more stalemates over budget and tax issues. The large number of rookies adds to concerns about the influence of professional lobbyists and state managers who spend years following and shaping state policy.